National councillor Pierre-André Page (UDC/SVP) would like to see some form of remuneration offered to blood donors to address the shortage of blood, according to RTS.
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“A glass of red and a sandwich is fine but we could do better” Page told the newspaper 20 Minutes, suggesting donors be remunerated from the social tax pot or via health insurance premium discounts.
Bernhard Wegmüller, director of Swiss Transfusion Swiss Red Cross, thinks such a system is unnecessary. He said there is no blood shortage except for one or two weeks in summer. He also warns against paying for blood. Experience in other countries shows this can lead to donors who come too often whose blood isn’t clean enough, risking infection of recipients, he said.
At the same time, a parliamentary initiative to enshrine the current practice of payment-free blood donations in Switzerland’s constitution has been put forward. It has broad support and has been accepted by a majority of those on the parliamentary health commission.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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